Random randomness

[Daehawk]

I think Ill go out today and get a good look at my car's alternator and its mounting. If I think i can get it off and I dont have to worry about a perfect belt tension on installing another one Ill call around junk yards and see if they have one. I will also call local alternator places to see the cost of a rebuild.

[LordMortis]

I think Ill go out today and get a good look at my car's alternator and its mounting. If I think i can get it off and I dont have to worry about a perfect belt tension on installing another one Ill call around junk yards and see if they have one. I will also call local alternator places to see the cost of a rebuild.

You can also check around to get one tested and get the brushes replaced. Or you could in the 90s, anyway. Alternators were expensive even back them.

[Daehawk]

Still can at some places. We had a guy that had done it since high school in the 60s. I think he must have passed or retired and they sold out so a liquor store could build there. But we used that place last in 2010. He rebuilt ours..some brushes and a couple diodes for $75.

And they are still expensive...$140 - $400+

[em2nought]

I must have missed it, did somebody jump start you? How did you determine that the alternator was your problem? Have you taken one out before yourself? I spent three days getting mine out and a new one back in last time and it was a royal PITA. I haven't heard of alternators getting locally rebuilt in years, only getting complete rebuilt alternators from the parts stores which I think most people think are actually "new" alternators, but if there's someone that still does that cool.

[Daehawk]

I was jump starting myself off my lawn mower. Now though the battery is so dead even wit ha jump it starts for like 2 sec then dies and never starts at all again unless I wait a couple days..then same 2 sec. Im guessing its the alt. my only other choice is buy a battery charger for $30 and see if I can save my new battery and recharge it..then start the car and get to an alt place that will check it.

But dont think Ill have the money this month..shall see. Figure if I am able to get a charger and that dont help Ill just send it back. Amazon has always been easy to return to. And Walmart will come pick up my return I dont have to box or label it if I ordered from them.

[Kasey Chang]

I know some guys who rebuild alternators in San Francisco, but they also rebuild a LOT of stuff, and even they say they can buy it cheaper from China, brand new ones, than they can refurb locally. We're talking the big T-1 alternators for trucks/buses though. Those are expensive.

[jztemple2]

Today is the start of my 70th birthday month (yeah, I talked my wife into celebrating the whole month ) and she surprised me this morning with this tank top:

[Unagi]

Congrats!

I wanted to mock up an achievement message.

Something like:
Only 37% of players have this achievement.


But then it struck me…. I wonder what that number really truly would be.

Of all ‘humans’ (let’s make it simple and pick a start date of 2000 years ago) , what percentage has gotten to see 70 years.

Or even in the last 100 years.

[stessier]

Congrats!

I wanted to mock up an achievement message.

Something like:
Only 37% of players have this achievement.


But then it struck me…. I wonder what that number really truly would be.

Of all ‘humans’ (let’s make it simple and pick a start date of 2000 years ago) , what percentage has gotten to see 70 years.

Or even in the last 100 years.

Not quite the data you're looking for, but a start.

In 1990, 33% of people made it to 70+. In 2010, that was up to 43%.

[Daehawk]

Maybe Im just hyper aware or just seeing too small a group but Ive seen so many deaths in the early 60s in the last few years....from my wife to stars to just people in the news. I dont ever recall so many 62 - 64 aged deaths.

[stessier]

Congrats!

I wanted to mock up an achievement message.

Something like:
Only 37% of players have this achievement.


But then it struck me…. I wonder what that number really truly would be.

Of all ‘humans’ (let’s make it simple and pick a start date of 2000 years ago) , what percentage has gotten to see 70 years.

Or even in the last 100 years.

Not quite the data you're looking for, but a start.

In 1990, 33% of people made it to 70+. In 2010, that was up to 43%.

Edit: The whole article is really interesting, but this particular section is what you are looking for - Survival Curves! They are only for one city, but they are interesting.

[Smoove_B]

Maybe Im just hyper aware or just seeing too small a group but Ive seen so many deaths in the early 60s in the last few years....from my wife to stars to just people in the news. I dont ever recall so many 62 - 64 aged deaths.

Frequency illusion

[Unagi]

Congrats!

I wanted to mock up an achievement message.

Something like:
Only 37% of players have this achievement.


But then it struck me…. I wonder what that number really truly would be.

Of all ‘humans’ (let’s make it simple and pick a start date of 2000 years ago) , what percentage has gotten to see 70 years.

Or even in the last 100 years.

Not quite the data you're looking for, but a start.

In 1990, 33% of people made it to 70+. In 2010, that was up to 43%.

Edit: The whole article is really interesting, but this particular section is what you are looking for - Survival Curves! They are only for one city, but they are interesting.

Thank you! This is indeed great.

[hitbyambulance]

my son just moved into campus housing and he is upset his room is overlooking the busy avenue - any suggestions on cost-effective sound dampening options? (he says the ones he's looked into are expensive)

[Anonymous Bosch]

my son just moved into campus housing and he is upset his room is overlooking the busy avenue - any suggestions on cost-effective sound dampening options? (he says the ones he's looked into are expensive)

Here, have a butcher's at the following, courtesy of SoundproofGuide.com:

8 Cheapest Ways For Sound Deadening a Room

[hitbyambulance]

my son just moved into campus housing and he is upset his room is overlooking the busy avenue - any suggestions on cost-effective sound dampening options? (he says the ones he's looked into are expensive)

Here, have a butcher's at the following, courtesy of SoundproofGuide.com:

8 Cheapest Ways For Sound Deadening a Room

good list. i sent it on to him.

i found a friend in St. Paul who has two large boards covered with foam that would likely fit his window and she wants to get rid of them - probably could wrap them further to increase their sound-deadening properties.

[LordMortis]

My old work put the foam pyramids in to line a room walls, ceiling and under the floor. It wasn't technically a quiet room but it sure felt like one. The complete absence of ambient noise is disturbing. My ears would start feeling they were reacting to pressure changes and people sound very weird when talking.

[Daehawk]

They say in professional quiet rooms where they test stuff its so quiet you hear the blood pumping through your veins. That must be disturbing.

Ive always thought about that...goi9ng from a totally quiet place after being there a while it must be loud as heck. Or for deaf to hear it must drive them nuts not being about to turn it off. And race car drivers after a race must feel like a snail even at 75mph.

I need to buy a car battery charger. They run $30 plus tax for an ok one. Need to see if I can get my car running. But have to wait further into the month to see if I got enough left.

[Max Peck]

I think this has been posted previously, but I'm always down for a good anechoic chamber 'splainer.

[Holman]

They say in professional quiet rooms where they test stuff its so quiet you hear the blood pumping through your veins. That must be disturbing.

That's what's going on when you hear "the roar of the ocean" in a seashell. It's really just the echo of your blood pumping.

You can do the same with a coffee mug (or even a cupped hand) at your ear.

[Daehawk]

I really thought Id sleep tonight as soon as my head hit my pillow. That was 3 hours ago at midnight. i was tired and I could barely stay awake. I dont think I was super stressed. Same old worries with car and washing machine and money. But my mind wasn't on any of them. Id slept well the pass couple nights. But nope. Wish I could sleep. Tomorrow would be a better day if i could sleep and not stay up all night. I could have medicated myself to sleep but then Id have even worse of a time getting up tomorrow and it bothers my normal medications. One of my BO meds makes me cough for no reason. Bout it. Shit.

[em2nought]

good list. i sent it on to him.

I don't know if dorms even have bunk beds anymore? If they do, and he has a bottom bunk he might be able to just hang insulated curtains or comforters around his bunk instead. Quiet and dark too!

[Anonymous Bosch]

One of my BO meds makes me cough for no reason. Bout it. Shit.

Wow, that's gotta be some heavy-duty medication, but I salute your efforts…

[em2nought]

I've been eating two cloves of garlic each day. I wonder if I smell different? Better or worse?

[Daehawk]

Whoops..BP meds.

[Unagi]

They say in professional quiet rooms where they test stuff its so quiet you hear the blood pumping through your veins. That must be disturbing.

That's what's going on when you hear "the roar of the ocean" in a seashell. It's really just the echo of your blood pumping.

You can do the same with a coffee mug (or even a cupped hand) at your ear.

It was explained to me that you are just hearing the soft echo of 'all white noise' that is happening around you (quite often it's waves, in the case of seashells). The noise you are hearing is coming from the air inside the mug/shell.
It's not the same as simply putting your finger in your ear to cut off all noise (where you will then hear your own blood pumping), your ear is hearing soundwaves from inside the shell/coffee mug.

Take the same shell, listen to it at the beach - and then take it into your basement - you hear something different because the outside white noise sources are different.

[Isgrimnur]

I look forward to your funding check so that I can go to the beach.

[Daehawk]

Well I got my car running ....sorta. I guessed correctly that it wouldn't start due to a totally dead battery . So I got a cheap $30 charger for it and charged it up and it started right off like normal.

But it wont stay running. It will start and run a bit..like 2 min...then choke its self and die. Like even if Im sitting there revving it up it will just sputter and die. If I let it sit 5 sec it will instantly restart and run a few min then do it again. Over and over. My guess is computer or bad gas. Im leaning gas because if it was computer it wouldn't run at all. I think the gas is bad due to it sitting for months and weeks. It has half a tank and I can't drain it. My best bet is to get some gas treatment and toss in.

Trouble is that is $3 but getting it delivered will be another $8 in fees. Wont have it till next month. I still think the alternator is hosed. So thats the update on that for now.

[TheMix]

I forget, do you currently have Amazon Prime? If so you should be able to get it delivered for free, no?

[em2nought]

But it wont stay running. It will start and run a bit..like 2 min...then choke its self and die. Like even if Im sitting there revving it up it will just sputter and die. If I let it sit 5 sec it will instantly restart and run a few min then do it again. Over and over.

Here are some of the things that it could be
https://www.repairsmith.com/blog/car-starts-then-dies/

You can find and clean the EGR valve. That wouldn't cost you anything. Also look over all the vacuum hoses to see if any have come loose or have cracks. That wouldn't cost you anything either.

That site doesn't mention it, but you might check the air filter too. You can gently bang that out on a hard surface to remove some dirt if it's really dirty, and then put it back in.

There ought to be a cheap bicycle or two on facebook marketplace in your area so you can travel a little ways?

I've had issues before because of the gas cap. Make sure you've got it on tight. A new one is pretty cheap and not a bad idea, sometimes they go bad even if you have it on tight.

[Isgrimnur]

Shiny 'golden orb' found 2 miles deep in the Pacific stumps explorers

While gliding the device over a rocky outcrop two miles underwater, team members aboard a NOAA ship came across what one of them initially described as a "yellow hat." But upon closer inspection, the object attached to a rock appeared "smooth, gold (and) dome-shaped," NOAA said in a news release.
...
Testing revealed the orb to be biological in nature − but not much else.

[Isgrimnur]

Yeah, Paqui chips are no joke. They are the "One Chip Challenge" folks after all.

"One Chip Challenge" maker Paqui pulls product from store shelves after Worcester teen's death

The decision comes six days after 14-year-old Harris Wolobah of Worcester death. Wolobah died hours after taking the challenge. The family is waiting for a cause of death from the Massachusetts Medical Examiner's Office pending an autopsy. The results are not expected for several weeks.
...
Earlier this week, Harris' mother, Lois Wolobah, told WBZ she picked him up from Doherty High School in Worcester Friday, September 1 after a call from the nurse's office saying he had fainted after eating the chip a friend gave him.

The challenge comes in a box with a single wrapped chip, labeled "Carolina Reaper" and "Naga Viper Pepper." His mother says he later passed out again at home, went to the emergency room, and died.

[Blackhawk]

I expected TikTok. The fact that it's actually the brand name of a product...

Anyway, the product is a box containing exactly one tortilla chip.

That rates between 1.5 and 1.7 million Scoville units.

[Smoove_B]

That rates between 1.5 and 1.7 million Scoville units.

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome is apparently a thing.

"These ultraspicy peppers may either contain a unique vasoactive substance, or there is a dose-related effect of capsaicin concentration that can trigger RCVS," the doctors concluded. "Further research in this area is needed to determine the exact pathophysiology of this phenomenon. This case provides further evidence that ingestion of hot peppers may lead to serious consequences and that further research is needed to assess their safety."

[Daehawk]

Ill check the egr tomorrow.

As for amazon prime I have it for another 2 hours. But no money in the bank. Well I have $110 but I owe my sister $100 and $7 goes to Walmart+. In 4 weeks I have more money and can see then. And I owe someone else and can pay them back too.

[em2nought]

I don't think you can really turn bad gas good, but you can dilute it by adding 5 gallons of fresh gas along with a gas treatment. Maybe something to eliminate water in the old gas since you probably sit with a half empty tank leaving room for condensation to possibly occur. I always insist my cousin tanks her vehicle up before she goes away for an extended period just so that won't happen.

A new fuel filter might not be a bad idea either. I've never had fuel filter problems with anything but diesels though and that was because of fuel made from veggie oil.

You could siphon the old gas, but watch out for that mouth full of gas when it first starts to flow, yuck. There are siphons that aren't supposed to require sucking on a hose, but I never managed to get them to work.

[Smoove_B]

Ill check the egr tomorrow.

I'm guessing fuel pump or the air flow sensor. I've had issues with both and it caused exactly what you're experiencing. While bad fuel is certainly possible, it's pretty far down the list imho. Modern gas stations have protections against water being introduced into their storage tanks so unless you're getting gas from a "classic" station that hasn't been upgraded since the 1950s, I'd be willing to bet it's a mechanical issue with the car itself.

[em2nought]

Ill check the egr tomorrow.

I'm guessing fuel pump or the air flow sensor.

They make a spray can of cleanser particularly for that air flow sensor. You don't want to go cleaning it off with something else. Unfortunately it's probably $15 - $20 because it was $10 in the before times. I'd definitely check the air filter and lightly tap it out on the ground to knock some dirt out. Look in the box it's in just in case some rodents might have made a nest in there that is now restricting your air flow to that air flow sensor. which is in the plastic casing somewhere midway between the air filter and the engine probably.

The EGR valve should rattle if it's ok, at least the old ones did as there should be a piece that moves back and forth in there. If that's gummed up and not rattling it needs cleaned.

[Default]

my son just moved into campus housing and he is upset his room is overlooking the busy avenue - any suggestions on cost-effective sound dampening options? (he says the ones he's looked into are expensive)

Harbor freight moving blankets over the windows and on the walls opposite the windows.
Recording studio approved for decades.

[Daehawk]

Ill check the egr tomorrow.

I'm guessing fuel pump or the air flow sensor. I've had issues with both and it caused exactly what you're experiencing. While bad fuel is certainly possible, it's pretty far down the list imho. Modern gas stations have protections against water being introduced into their storage tanks so unless you're getting gas from a "classic" station that hasn't been upgraded since the 1950s, I'd be willing to bet it's a mechanical issue with the car itself.

What I need is a code reader. Maybe I can get one next month. Always needed one .